Thursday, January 12, 2006

homemade lotion recipe

I feel like I've been hoarding a great secret. Actually, I've tried to tell several people about this recipe, but everybody I've told has turned their nose up at me. Not because it's stinky lotion either. Actually, if you'll scratch and sniff your computer screen here you'll look about as dumb as the people who haven't tried to make my lotion yet.

It's not really my lotion recipe. I work with a nurse who gave the recipe to me. One of her patients gave it to her. This nurse (the one with whom I work) has worked in Hospice for years and years before she came to the clinic. The family that shared the recipe with her was taking care of a lady who was bedridden for almost ten years. They found this recipe somewhere and made this lotion -- which kept her from ever getting one bedsore.

Now lotion alone won't keep people from getting bedsores. People who are bedridden need extra special care helping with position changes at least every two hours and getting clean after they use the bedpan. Lotion can't be substituted for that kind of TLC... but it's still a great supplement for skin.

So if the winter drys you out-- if you work somewhere that you have to wash your hands all of the time -- if you're ready for those yucky callouses on your heels to go away -- if you just want an excuse to make a mess -- if you'd like to go where no man has boldly gone before -- if you just like lotion -- if you like to play with the hand mixer -- if you just want to -- if you dare -- etc, etc -- Go ahead and make the lotion already.

All of the following ingredients can be purchased at Family Dollar in the lotion/hygiene section for a dollar each. (This is not to be confused with the Dollar Store.) You'll need the following ingredients, a big mixing bowl, hand mixer, and lots of little jars to put the new lotion. I ended up putting the excess in a big gallon-sized sandwich bag. But if you want to be more couth than that, get some baby jars or something. You can reuse the smaller containers that vaseline comes in, too...

My Fancy Lotion Recipe

2 jars store-brand Vitamin E cream

2 store-brand baby lotion bottles

1 jar of the store-brand vaseline

1. Dump above into a large mixing bowl. I foundthat cutting apart the baby lotion bottles helped me to get a bunch more of itout. And get a bigger mixing bowl than you think you're going to need orit'll be messier than you thought.

2. Mix. Don't overheat the hand-mixer.

3. Put the new lotion that you made all by yourselfinto little jars. You can reuse the vitamin e cream jars and vaseline jaragain. Or you can buy fancy jars at an antique store...

34 comments:

I don't know why, but for some reason when I read this post I get the distict vison of some sick plastic surgeon mixing excess liposuction fat in a bowl with baby oil. I am sure this works, but for some reason my stomach churns. Weird. I'll have to get the baggie of it that you have left over.

So, I have just looked up where my local Family Dollar is and will be going after work today. I have the driest skin on the planet. And, I have that thing where I wash my hands all the time. Totally psychological, not ready to tackle that one... Anyways, thanks! Can't wait to try it.

Answer: Go ahead and use your hand mixer. It's not like I'm asking you to blend together gasoline and kerosine with the vaseline... mix your little heart out and then let the beaters take a ride through the dish washer... it'll be fine!

So, I live in Arizona most of the time....take a break in summer.... you really need good lotion down there. Am going to make this today....so hope it works! And why someone would think you couldn't reuse the beaters is beyond me...soap and water works everytime! Thanks for the recipe.

I made this and really liked it but after using it up couldn;t remember the recipe. I did a search and came up with this site. Thank goodness someone knowas about this other than me. I got the recipe from a friend and hers came out pink, however the vitamin E cream I bought was green so mine came out a putrid color of green but it still worked and smelled good too. Thanks for posting it and to others, give it a try.Nancy

instead of baby lotion use eucerin. ti sis the best recipe i have ever found for dry skin. i work as a nurse and we wash our hands alot. so we each take turns making a batch of this per week and we use it religiusly. instead of a blender, i actually just stir it and it disolves. watch out for how much vaseline you use. it can be quite greasy. but, if you mix and test repeatedly you will find the right mixture. i also started going to gnc and buying their scented oils and applying some to the mixture. wonderful recipe. i highly recommend it.

My sister made this recipe last night and gave me a jar of it for my birthday. When I asked her if it was easy she laughed and informed me of the three ingredients and how she made it in her Kitchen Aid mixer. The texture is fluffy, whipped and light. The scent is nice and she told me that I could use the lavender scent baby lotion if I did not want the "baby" smell. She was also telling me that people at some salons by us were actually selling this stuff for a big price as their own "special" formula so it must have quite a following for those who have tried it. I tried some on my hands right away and it felt like a nice veil of protection was on my hands for most the afternoon.

I put some on my washed face tonight as well. I know you are thinking that it's gonna clog pores but I read in the Wall Street Journal that dermatologists say the best kept secret in their office is from older women. It's a mix of vaseline and water whipped together...that's it! No need for fancy expensive creams and serums. They use it under their makeup and at night. The doctors interviewed said the women who have done this for years have very few wrinkles and glowing skin. The vaseline is a barrier to the elements and seals in moisture; sounds like this cream would work too and I like the vitamin E element as well.This is one girl who would rather keep cash in her pocket AND look great while laughing at the snob element. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I was given a sample at a quilt camp and fell in love with how well it worked and the idea of making my own lotion...using this uncomplicated recipe! Today I bought some ingredients for variety: instead of vit E (or maybe in addition to) I bought cocoa butter and shea butter, then I found unscented lotion.....this is fun and ECONOMICAL!

My aunt gave me a similar recipe. She uses lanolin instead of vitamin E. Anyway...I absolutely love it. It's not gross..come on guys, try it. I'm researching now to find the exact recipe I want to use. Most of this can be found at Dollar General, etc. Haven't found lanolin yet.

April, you can get lanolin at Walmart or Walgreens. Ask the pharmacist. It comes in a tube. I don't know why you'd want to use it, though. My dermatologist doesn't recommend anything with lanolin in it.

Look for Lanolin in the baby department next to the breastfeeding supplies. Or maybe just ask someone who has recently weaned her baby. I breastfeed a year, and I still have over half of the tube left. Lanolin is soothing for sore, chapped skin.

I grew up with my Mom smearing a teensy dab of vaseline on her wet hands and rubbing it on her hands and face. Yes, I did find it gross when I was a teenager. But guess what? I watched her age beautifully with hardly any wrinkles until she was 80 years old, and her skin STILL looks much younger than other women her age. It has a healthy glow very untypical of most women. So by the time I was in my 20's I realised that was how I wanted to age. I dip the tip of one finger into vaseline, and another finger into a bit of lotion and smear them together on my fingertips before rubbing it on my face. Now this is no brag, just fact, I am 50 years old and get many compliments on the youthful look of my skin. Especially the friends of my adult children tell them that they can't believe how young I look (possibly comparing me to their moms?). I don't know if it's good genetics, good habits (neither my mom or I smoke or drink), but I'm not going to risk not using the vaseline with lotion to find out. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! When I put on makeup, I first apply facial powder, then foundation, and then another light dusting of powder, and that absorbs any extra shine caused by the Vaseline. I've been doing this for a couple of decades now, and when I have ever gone for one of those free makeovers at the expensive makeup counters, the girls always compliment my skin. Then they want to sell me a product that's $40 for half an ounce to do the same thing! I just smile, and keep my secret to myself! I'm really not a person who is obsessed with looking youthful, I don't dye my hair, which has a touch of grey, but who wouldn't enjoy looking healthy? I have been buying store brand lotion, but recently enjoyed picking up some lotions that smell better. But they come with a fat price tag, so I'm interested in trying this recipe for the fun of it. Glad to see this is here, and hope as many women as possible find out you don't have to pay a bundle for great skin.

A friend of mine just gave me a very similar "recipe" just this weekend! A large bottle of baby lotion (with the pump), 2 jars of Vit E (from Wal-Mart) and a large jar of baby vaseline. I tried some she had already made and it has a nice, soft smell and feels GREAT on your hands. I just bought everything I need at lunch today and am going home and make it tonight!

I can,t live without lotions. This recipe sounds wonderful. I am going to try cocoa butter mixed in with vit e and the vaseline. CVS makes an excellant vit e cream. It comes in a jar, and has a light clean smell. Can't wait to try this out....!!Laura

I read this recipe this morning and bought everything on my way to work. I couldn't wait to get home and try it. Wow! My 21 year old daughter loved it too! I used the Vit E lotion, vaseline and the store brand Coco butter lotion. It smells great, is non-greasy after a few minutes and it's not sticky. I make and sell lotions and this is way better than any of tne lotions I have ever offered to my customers. I just love it, thanks for sharing!

for those looking for lanolin to no avail, the product "lansinoh" a purple tube of thick cream used by nursing mothers to combat cracked nipples is nothing but lanolin in its concentrated form. This is available walmart, riteaid, walgreens, etc... baby aisle! I just made some of this great stuff and am waiting for my 9oz. bottles to show up to bottle it and give it as Christmas gifts. I used baby lotion, eucerin, vaseline, vitamin E oil and enhanced it all with lavendar essential oil. Yum! My hands feel like they have a nice moisture sealing barrier on them. Thanks for the great recipe, and thanks to everyone else who's comments led me to want to start using vaseline to preserve my 31 year old baby face! No wrinkles yet, hopefully no wrinkles ever!

April 2009Mixed this up on Easter Sunday. Yummy, light pink, whipped cream (no I didn't eat it). I found baby lotion (16oz) and vasaline (4oz) at Dollar Store and then white colored/non scented Vitamin E cream8 oz jars at "Big Lots" for $2.30 each (used two). Still cheap and it was fun. Three families took home a big jar each....

So far as "sizes" go -- I've tried it with tons of sizes, and the most important thing to remember is that it turns out great every time. The only thing I'd caution about going overboard with is the petroleum jelly; I try to find a smaller jar of it. Of course, if you can only find the larger jar -- that's okay, too. Just add more lotion or vitamin E cream to it.Recently I've had problems finding the smaller jars of Vit E cream. I've added the larger jars instead, and it still works out great.Just play with it. There's no wrong way to do it!

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it. I might substitute the baby lotion with something else or not use it at all. Simply because even baby lotion has a lot of harsh chemicals and..well...B.S. in it. I might try it with olive oil which is super moisturizing.

I live in Manitoba and the winters are long and cold. Dont like all the addiditives in most lotions so I started making my own a few years ago. I use mineral oil and beeswax, very moisturizing. I will have to try your recipe and let you know.